RE: [DL] Quick note: Barnes & Nobles

["Mark Chiddicks" <Mark.Chiddicks@descisys.com>]

Its not meant as flamebait, its just genuine incomprehension that anyone, anywhere thinks character classes and levels add anything to a game. Its pretty obvious when you look at the history of RPGs that the one idea in D&D that nobody ever copied, anywhere was the class & level system. Skill based systems are simply more flexible and a better model of imaginary personae. Can anyone argue with this? Really?

Even 3ed D&D adopted a skill system - leaving levels and classes obsolete even within the game that invented them (at least, it SHOULD have)!

I just hate seeing a bad idea made widespread simply due to economic might - its like Windows 3.1! D20 gives Call of Cthulhu characters more hitpoints as they gain experience! CALL OF CTHULHU!!!! Come off it, Henry Armitage, 18th level professor with 40 HP, or little old man who can barely climb the stairs? 

-----Original Message-----
From: balance@tubas.net [mailto:balance@tubas.net]
Sent: Monday, 29 July 2002 1:21 p.m.
To: deadlands@gamerz.net
Subject: Re: [DL] Quick note: Barnes & Nobles



On Sunday, July 28, 2002, at 04:54  PM, Mark Chiddicks wrote:

> Shane - what chance is there of more of the classic Deadlands material 
> being made available as e-books? In little old New Zealand there are 
> only a smattering of game shops and only a scattering of Pinnacle 
> products in them (usually the same 2 or 3 books). Mail order over the 
> internet is cool, except that postage from the US to NZ adds at least 
> 50% to the price. As your focus changes towards D20 (shakes head 
> sadly - 'Hey, its new improved Coke flavoured Champagne') and your 
> support for the classic system moves to the Epitaph I suspect it'll 
> become steadily harder to get the books. What chance is there of stuff 
> going to e-book form as it goes out of print?

I don't think Pinnacle's changing focus. They realize that both systems 
have advantages, disadvantages, and more importantly, fans.  The only 
primarily d20 books are the splatbooks for classes: everything else is 
dual-stat. A lot of people may feel one side or another of the dual 
stats is wasted space, but it does help PEG keep the books on the 
shelves and doesn't stop you from playing.

Note that each d20 'core' seems to have a color scheme related... d20 
Deadlands uses a dark red in contrast to the classic orange, and HOE d20 
looks to be a dark green instead of the standard nuclear green.

As to ebooks, I believe the pinnacle policy is to make ebooks of OOP 
products, so many will take a while, I think...

Also, please note that disparaging comments about d20 (Deadlands 
specific or not) are considered flamebaits in these parts... I've been 
dinged a few fate chips about that recently, but I've realized it gets 
no one nowhere.

--
Brett

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER 
MAN? (Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett)
	


To unsubscribe, send a message to esquire@gamerz.net with
	unsubscribe deadlands@gamerz.net
as the BODY of the message.  The SUBJECT is ignored.